Batey students selected to participate in the United Nations’ Model Conference in Santo Domingo.

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic – Tuesday, September 25th, eleven students from batey Bosque Abajo in the province of Monte Plata, four females and seven males, gathered in the BRA’s Medical Center located inside Batey Cinco Casas for a workshop sponsored by the Association of the United Nations in the Dominican Republic (ANU-RD), in collaboration with the BRA Dominicana.

ANU-RD is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the work of the United Nations through educational and cultural activities, focusing particularly on international collaboration, non-violent negotiation and peaceful conflict resolution. “ANU-RD is partnering with the Batey Relief Alliance to empower the youth of the bateyes in the Dominican Republic such that they can effect positive change within their communities,” said Ulrick Gaillard, BRA’s CEO.

Two representatives from ANU-RD presented the United Nations Millennium Development Goals to the students, encouraging them to think about the objectives in relation to their own community, Bosque Abajo. The participants discussed the Development Goals, brainstorming solutions to problems ranging from HIV infection, lack of potable water, and mother-infant mortality. Three young women were selected to represent their community in the Model Conference of the United Nations that will take place in Santo Domingo this month. At the event, they will have the opportunity to meet hundreds of other students to discuss in an open forum matters of international development, negotiation and conflict resolution.

Gaillard added that ANU-RD and BRA Dominicana envision the beginning of a long and productive partnership to empower the youth of the bateyes. ANU-RD hopes to return to Cinco Casas to conduct similar workshops with additional groups of students.

At the workshop, ANU-RD presented the Medical Center with two boxes of medications, donated to the Batey Relief Alliance in support of its humanitarian mission to provide quality medical attention in family practice, ophthalmology, gynecology, pediatrics, dentistry and counseling, offering free medications and glasses to all of its patients.

For more information, please contact the executive director of BRA Dominicana, Maria Virtudes Berroa, at (809) 540-4947 or bradominicana@codetel.net.do. For more information about the humanitarian work of BRA, please visit their website at www.bateyrelief.org/bradominicana.